You know me. I’m always seesawing between movies, tv shows, and books. 

If I’m not obsessively reading a book, there’s a high chance that I’m probably religiously watching Korean dramas or some type of movies. And for this instance, it’s not much more different. Lately, I have been getting back into watching movies again –– since the book I’m currently reading is kind of slow but I ain’t giving up just yet.

This time around however, I find that those block-buster, well reviewed movies doesn’t really interest me. So to rectify the situation, my intellectual self decide that she’s going to look for some good, jaw-dropping worthy movies that were overlooked in 2018. Not to mention, since 2019 is the year of me widening my horizon, this time, your girl is feeling like doing some digging.

And after hours and hours of trudging through the Internet (I’m just kidding, I’m more skilled than that) and putting my repressed FBI skills to use. These are the gems that I’ve collected :

1. Blindspotting

Starring : Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar

Director : Carlos López Estrada

Genre : Comedy, Crime, Drama

BLURB : 

Collin (Daveed Diggs) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend, Miles (Rafael Casal), work as movers and are forced to watch their old neighborhood become a trendy spot in the rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. When a life-altering event causes Collin to miss his mandatory curfew, the two men struggle to maintain their friendship as the changing social landscape exposes their differences. Explores the intersection of race and class set against the backdrop of Oakland

2. Wildlife

Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Zoe Margaret Colletti

Director : Paul Dano

Genre : Melodrama, Slice of Life 

BLURB : 

14-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry—a housewife and a golf pro—in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job—and his sense of purpose—he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Suddenly forced into the role of an adult, Joe witnesses his mother’s struggle as she tries to keep her head above water.

3. Hearts Beat Loud

Starring : Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Blythe Danner

Director : Brett Haley

Genre : Comedy, Music, Drama

BLURB : 

In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad and record store owner Frank is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam off to college while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly jam sessions into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery.

4. Mandy

Starring : Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache

Director : Panos Cosmatos

Genre : Action, Fantasy, Horror

BLURB : 

Taking place in 1983, Red is a lumberjack who lives in a secluded cabin in the woods. His artist girlfriend Mandy spends her days reading fantasy paperbacks. Then one day, she catches the eye of a crazed cult leader, who conjures a group of motorcycle-riding demons to kidnap her. Red, armed with a crossbow and custom Axe, stops at nothing to get her back, leaving a bloody, brutal pile of bodies in his wake.

5. American Animals 

Starring : Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk

Director : Bart Layton

Genre : Drama, Crime 

BLURB : 

Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Chas Allen are four friends who live an ordinary existence in Kentucky. After a visit to Transylvania University, Lipka comes up with the idea to steal the rarest and most valuable books from the school’s library. As one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history starts to unfold, the men question whether their attempts to inject excitement and purpose into their lives are simply misguided attempts at achieving the American dream.

6. The Old Man and The Gun

Starring : Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek

Director : David Lowery

Genre : Comedy, Crime

BLURB : 

At the age of 70, Forrest Tucker makes an audacious escape from San Quentin, conducting an unprecedented string of heists that confound authorities and enchant the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt, who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman who loves him in spite of his chosen profession.

7. Leave No Trace

Starring : Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard

Director : Debra Granik

Genre :  Drama

BLURB : 

A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.

8. Tully

Starring : Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston

Director : Jason Reitman

Genre : Comedy, Drama, Mystery 

BLURB : 

Marlo is a New York suburbanite who’s about to give birth to her third child. Her husband, Ron, is loving and works hard, but remains clueless about the demands that motherhood puts on his wife. When the baby is born, Marlo’s wealthy brother hires a nighttime nanny named Tully to help his sister handle the workload. Hesitant at first, Marlo soon learns to appreciate all that Tully does — forming a special bond with her new, lifesaving friend.

9. Game Night

Starring : Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler

Director : John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

Genre : Comedy, Crime, Action 

BLURB : 

Bateman and McAdams star as Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max’s charismatic brother, Brooks (Chandler), arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it’s all part of the game–right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this game–nor Brooks–are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. With no rules, no points, and no idea who all the players are, this could turn out to be the most fun they’ve ever had… or game over.

10. First Reformed 

Starring : Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer

Director : Paul Schrader

Genre : Drama, Mystery, Thriller 

BLURB : 

Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past, and equally despairing future, until he finds redemption in an act of grandiose violence.